January 23, National Handwriting Day

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills In the sixth grade, my teacher set aside part of my recess time to work on my handwriting. Do you have a clue to the difficulty others found and still find in deciphering my pitiful penmanship? This grade-A student always received a U for unsatisfactory until I finished grade school. By then, the teachers gave up. …

Overcoming the Post-Holiday Blues

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills As we bid farewell to the holiday season, we treasure cherished memories, sweet experiences, laughter, an unexpected gift, and some moments best forgotten. Many of us feel a sense of melancholy, the anticipation of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day are replaced by the ho-hum of the months ahead. The post-holiday blues are depressing but take …

Room to Breathe

DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Guest Post by Linda Lyle Do you ever find yourself going down the anxiety rabbit hole? Like many businesses, writing is a feast or famine. I am either waiting to hear back from editors, agents, and publishers, or I am overwhelmed by deadlines and details. Either way I feel anxious as I wonder how it will all …

The Wisdom of The Spider and the Fly

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills A friend shared how his mother taught him as a child the way of good and evil, righteousness and sin through the poem The Spider and the Fly. I searched the public domain for this nearly 200-year-old writing. It’s fun, humorous, and touches us with its truth about humanity. The Spider and the Fly (1829) “Will you …

Kick Your Fears to the Curb

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills I’ve learned over the years the best way to eliminate fear is to remove it from my physical, mental, and spiritual world. An alliance with terror is no way to live. Spending time with fear is fiend-ship. Nothing good comes from teaming up with an enemy and falling captive to its paralyzing chains. So why indulge? …

Overcoming the Beast of Discouragement

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills A recent podcast/sermon by a renowned pastor hit me right where I needed—the heart. I hear what you’re saying: all sermons are supposed to affect the heart. But this one addressed my current situation. I’d been experiencing discouragement, and the biggest problem is my perfectionism. God touched me, filling me with His hope and a reminder …

Throw Out Your Black Purse

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Guest Post By Tammy Karasek @TammyKarasek We’ve all been given the same number of hours in a day and days in a week. We can’t change either of those. I’m not speaking in terms of how long we live, although we don’t choose that either. I’m focusing on the time we spend on our day-to-day activities. …

10 Reasons to Rest and Relax

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Do you feel guilty about taking a break to rest and relax? Sometimes I fall into that pit. My thoughts tell me stepping back from the day-to-day stress is wrong, as though life will ding me for not keeping to my schedule. Should we take time to be free from our obligations and responsibilities? Enjoy a …

Read to Know and Grow

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Reading makes us heroes,. The habit encourages us to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. The more we know, the more we grow, and the more we can show others information or a slice of life that will add value to their lives. Tall expectations, but it’s motivated me to read for—never mind the years. Let’s say …

Why Do I Need a Mission Statement?

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills A mission statement is an individual’s detailed explanation of their value or purpose in life. Every person on the planet has a mission or a calling, a reason for their existence. This means we all need to craft a written statement that motivates us on our God-given journey. The statement is short: a phrase, one sentence, …